The Food Environment and Public Health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

A Systematic Review

Abstract

Studies suggest that the food environment in Latin America and the Caribbean has the second-highest food insecurity (FI) globally, with a 40.9% prevalence. The food environment is described by geographic access, food insecurity, and physical, social, economic, cultural, or political factors that affect accessibility, availability, and nutritional adequacy in any community or region. Food security is one of the substantial factors that affect the food environment. These factors impact public health and increase the effect on lives and human society, especially in developing countries. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are prone to natural disasters that impact the food environment and could affect public health. We systematically searched Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and ScienceDirect databases to review articles published on the food environment and public health and presented the data. The systematic review results demonstrate that four in every ten people suffer from food insecurity in LAC. In addition, food insecurity is associated with an unhealthy diet and may lead to overweight, obesity, and diabetes. From the 604 articles searched, five selected articles illustrated the impacts of the food environment on public health. The food environment and public health of the LAC nations are influenced by several factors, which include food insecurity, malnutrition, obesity, geographical locations, and costs.